We wanted to start the new year off with a bit of humor. What better way than with this ingeniously funny letter that one small business owner sent in response to a cease and desist letter from Starbucks.

2014 started off with a bang, literally, as we learned moments ago that Palestinian ambassador Jamal al-Jamal was killed in an explosion. But it is too early to tell what kind of ripple effects this may have on the world's markets.